BALANCED ATTACK LIFTS EMMANUEL OVER SIMMONS
Jan. 28, 2010
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel Women's Basketball Team eased past Simmons College in the first game of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference double-header played on Thursday night in the Jean Yawkey Center. The host Saints shot 53.6% (30-56) from the floor and saw all fourteen players score baskets en route to a 79-54 win over the neighboring Sharks. The win boosted the Saints to 14-4 overall and 5-1 in GNAC play, while the Sharks fell to 12-6 on the season and 4-2 in the league.
The first minute of play featured an and-one by Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) and a fast-break bucket by Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.) to give Emmanuel an early 5-0 lead. The Saints defense held the Sharks scoreless for the opening three minutes of play. Simmons' first hoop came on a jumper in the paint by Stephanie Fox (West Springfield, Mass.) at 16:35 and Emmanuel led 5-2.
The Saints took a ten-point lead, 14-4, at 14:02 on a baseline jumper by Jade Santos (Plymouth, Mass.). Another Santos jumper at the 12:42-mark extended the Saints' lead to 16-4 and forced Simmons to call their second timeout of the half. A fast-break basket by Davis with 10:21 left in the half stretched the EC lead to 22-6 and forced a third Simmons timeout.
Emmanuel's full court pressure defense proved to be too much for the Sharks to handle in the first half, as Simmons was held to just 2 field goals in the opening ten minutes of play. After two free throws by Simmons' freshman guard Ashley Donaghey (Framingham, Mass.), Emmanuel held a twenty-point lead at 33-13 with just over three minutes left to play in the half.
Freshman guard Tiaunna Nieves' (Springfield, Mass.) second three-pointer of the half and another fast-break lay-up by Davis at the two-minute mark brought the Emmanuel spread to twenty-five points, 38-13. With just under ten seconds to play in the half, Chenae Earle (South Orange, N.J.) pushed the ball the length of the floor and hit a cutting Jenna Ross (Centerburg, Ohio) for a lay-up to end the half. Emmanuel took a 40-13 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Sharks shot 16.7% from the floor and connected on just 4 field goals in the first half. Emmanuel's defense forced Simmons into 18 turnovers and the Saints scored 17 points off the Sharks' errors in the opening stanza.
Fox, who entered the contest just 20 points shy of 1,000 for her career, led the Sharks at the break with 5 points. Davis led the Emmanuel squad with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
After an Emmanuel hoop by Pamela Mobley (Worcester, Mass.), the Sharks went on a 5-0 run to start the second half and Simmons trailed 42-18 with 18:24 to go.
An and-one by Mobley gave the Saints a thirty-point advantage, 50-20, with 17:30 left to play. When Simmons guard Jessica Thomas (East Sandwich, R.I.) drained her third tri-fecta of the game, Simmons was down 60-32 with 13:30 on the clock.
Consecutive lay-ups by Brittany Dolloff (Hollis, N.H.) and a bucket and the foul by Alexandrah Acloque (Canton, Mass.) cut Simmons' deficit to 68-44 with 9:02 left in the game. A free throw by Dolloff brought Simmons to within twenty (70-50) with 3:50 remaining, but the Sharks would come no closer, as Emmanuel held on for the 79-54.
All of the Emmanuel players found the scoring column in the win. Mobley led a trio of double-figure scorers for the Saints with 11 points. LeBel chipped in with 10 points, while Santos and Nieves added 8 points each for the hosts. After scoring 10 points tonight, Iman Davis now needs just 16 points to become Emmanuel's all-time leading scorer. She is on pace to break the career-scoring record of 1,626 points set by All-American Lesa Dennis back in 1988.
Emily Thomas (Chesire, Conn.) led Simmons with 12 points and 4 rebounds. Jessica Thomas added 10 points and 4 assists, while Fox finished with 10 points in the effort for Simmons.
The Saints will return to action on February 3rd, when they travel to Wesleyan University for a 7:30pm start.